POISON Love her
by Metallic Sharpie
Summary: Rin is offered an opportunity to work in one of the country's most famed gentlemen clubs, and a chance to get rid of her father's abusive hand. She quickly learns how far her decisions reach, becoming tangled in the affairs of notorious crime lords. Desperate to gain control of her life, she finds strange solace when conversing with a cold, aloof businessman over ice cream...
1. Blue Moon

POISON | Love Her

**Chapter 1**

_Blue Moon_

'Thoughts'

_Flashbacks_

Original Publish Date: 3/18/2014

**Warning: **Physical abuse, sexual assault, and mild torture are elements that will for-sure be in this story, especially the first one. If you have an issue with this, ppllleeeaaasssseee hit the back button. There will be some chapters that are all sunshine and rainbows and fluff! Now, on to the story!

* * *

"Rin, hurry up! Kaguya is getting anxious!" Kagome whispered harshly from the doorway that leads to the stage, waving her hand towards her. The younger woman looked up at her friend, nodding quickly before she readjusted her bra, made sure her half-up pigtails and hat were secure, and smoothed out the bottom half of her nurse costume.

It was Saturday night and the business was packed with men. Powerful and dangerous men of human and youkai, belonging to different gangs across the country. It usually wasn't like this, with so many potentially-violent clientele cramped in the moderately-sized room, but with the recent shift of power between crime lords, the central-west area became a 'safe zone' so to speak. The 'Blue Moon' gentlemen's club was smack in middle of the safe zone, only two streets down from the famed Delfino hotel.

Kaguya must have thought Rin was oblivious to all of this, but her boss didn't know her father ran one of the larger gangs in the eastern region, under Ryūkotsusei's rule. The young woman _needed_ to know all of this, unless she wished to be beaten for her ignorance… "Come on!" The petite woman ran past Kagome, hurrying on to the stage until she stood behind the center curtains.

Rin was nervous, which was a strange feeling for her. She hadn't been nervous on the stage for a long time now, 'But all those men out there…' Men her father surely knew. She had to be careful, a wrong move and her father would surely hear of it. She glanced to the side and saw Kagome mouthing a 'good luck' just as the curtains began to open.

-:-

"Good, sounds like they enjoyed your performance." Kaguya mumbled over the sound of hollering men. They were backstage again; this time Kagome getting ready to go up, wearing her signature school-girl costume. One of the dedicated waitresses approached the pair, a tall, tanned cat youkai with golden blonde hair that reached just below her waist, named Minako.

"Rin! Room 3 wants you." The young woman frowned, she had hoped to avoid any private sessions with the crowd they had today.

Kaguya gave her a slight push, "Go now. We can't afford to make any of these men angry." Rin nodded, before following Minako down the backstage and into the main room.

"I tried telling him you are mute, but he insisted." The cat youkai shrugged, "I've never seen him around here before. I'll make sure Hiro keeps on an eye on you, 'kay?" Rin nodded, giving the feline a weak smile. Minako was always looking out for her, something she was truly grateful for, but one glimpse of the tall man slipping into room 3 several feet away told her she might need more than just the bouncer keeping a half-hearted watch. "I need to get back to the bar, be careful." The feline youkai gave her hand a quick squeeze before dashing off and returning to her duties.

Rin exhaled before straightening up, flicking a lock of her wild, dark brown hair over her shoulder and strutting over to the booth. She ignored the calls of the thugs as she made her way in the wide hall, lined with small private rooms. Most were full, and some were a bit... noisy to her sensitive hearing. The young woman shook her head; she wasn't the type to do_ that_ but understood the other girls' reason resorting to those activities. The majority of the dancers at this club had a story, and needed all the money they could earn to change the ending.

Rin quietly slid inside Room 3, slowly shutting the frosted glass door behind her as she set her eyes on her client. The man was fairly built and on the taller side, with surprisingly soft, brown eyes, long raven hair, and wore an all-black suit, black shirt, red tie—nothing too out of the ordinary. 'Though he is dressed very well, he is not like the others out there…' The young woman stood in front of him, just within arm's reach in the small room. She noticed the wine glass in his hand, filled with a deep red liquid. 'He is drinking wine, _here_?' She wasn't even aware they had wine. 'Maybe he is bit out of the ordinary.'

"Your performance was excellent; I was pleasantly surprised by your movements. Have you ever done gymnastics?" The woman jumped a bit at the sound of his voice, not expecting the deep tone or perfect language, and much less the question. She slowly nodded; it had been awhile since. "I figured as much... You seem to be a bit young to be here…" She stared blankly, this time her hands made their way to the hem of her dress, rubbing the cloth between the pads of her fingertips out of nervousness. She wasn't quite eighteen yet, but close enough that Kaguya did not fret about it. Besides, the business she brought in made the risk worth it.

Rin didn't like all the questions, and began to feel uneasy of the man. Usually when clients tried to talk to any of them, it meant they were trying to get to know them… to lead them somewhere... stalk them… or—"I apologize. I do not mean to make you nervous." The man bit his bottom lip for a second, and the woman couldn't help but find the action a bit… eye-catching. "My name is Kuromaru." He motioned towards the empty spot on the couch. "If it's more comfortable, you can sit… or dance. I only wish to speak to you." The woman shot him a suspicious look and he caught it, "It is purely business-related." He sat back into his seat and sipped at bit of his drink.

"I own a club a couple of miles from here, perhaps you have heard of it… Shikon." Rin's eyes widened, 'No way.' No one ever had seen the owner of Shikon, one of the most famous clubs of the country, known best for its four main beautiful, acrobatic and extremely gifted dancers. "One of my lovely dancers experienced an accident and can no longer dance at my club. While all the other women I have are talented, they are missing something very important to fulfill the spot she left behind… I believe you have that something." She continued to stare at the man, bewildered.

'How do I know he isn't lying about his identity?' And what in the world could she have that others did not? Rin believed she was good at what she did, but she didn't have the kind of experience and practice most of the other women have in their years of dancing—"Would you be interested in trying out for the position? I pay very well." She almost immediately agreed, but froze. Her father might not like her decision. Shikon was even farther away from their house, and she would no longer be able to keep an eye and eavesdrop on the local rival gangs in the area—something that would surely annoy him.

"You don't have to make a decision now, though I would like a dancer before next weekend…" The man stood from the couch, leaving his glass on the end table beside it. He reached into blazer and pulled out a crisp, matte black business card, handing it to her. She accepted it, unconsciously rubbing the smooth texture between her fingertips as she read the light purple font. 'SHIKON… Owner Kuromaru, the address, business, fax, email and cell number… I guess he is the real deal.' "Let me know when you would like to swing by. A text message or email is fine." His hand moved to the other side of his blazer, pulling out a white envelope.

"And for your time… Keep in mind, should you accept my offer, this is only a fraction of the money would make _in one night_." He straightened up his clothing a bit for giving her a small smile, "I must head back. I hope to hear from you soon." Rin nodded before she mechanically opened the door for the man; she noticed the spicy smell of his cologne: cardamom, black pepper, mandarin, saffron, nutmeg, cumin. Once the man turned the corner out of the hall, she brought her attention to the envelope in her hand. The woman was vaguely aware that his scent lingered on the paper as she opened it, revealing a small stack of 15 hundred-dollar bills.

'Oh my god…' Rin nearly felt as if she could not accept the cash. She didn't provide any service, they only spoke for about 10 minutes or so, she certainly didn't deserve this much! "That was quick. So, what did he want—holy crap!" The women jumped in shock, not realizing Minako had made her way behind her and saw the green in the envelope. "Next time he comes in, you bring me in there with you!" She shook her head, smiling at the feline before walking over to where she kept her things backstage.

-:-

It was around 10PM and Rin was just about ready to leave. The crowd was only getting cruder as the night dragged on, bringing in more of the lower-class members of neighboring gangs. Due to Kuromaru's gracious contribution, she could easily leave early without sacrificing any gain or hearing it from Kaguya and her father. She quickly changed into a plain tee, black hoodie, and dark-wash skinny jeans then gathered her stuff and tipped out, ignoring Kaguya's surprised look when she gave her end. "Want me to walk you to your car?" Hiro asked as she walked past him.

Rin considered his offer and nodded, not wanting to take any chances tonight. The large male escorted her to the back of the lot, where her Sunfire was parked. "See you on Monday." Hiro said in parting, walking back to the club as she waved goodbye. She got in her car and locked the doors, before throwing her bag on the passenger seat. 'Should I go home now..?' She entertained the thought of swinging by Shikon since her father wouldn't be expecting her for at least another 2 hours.

'I don't want to seem desperate.' She thought dejectedly, resting her forehead on the steering wheel. 'I'll try to sneak out tomorrow and get there… ' She figured for now she would swing by her favorite ice cream parlor, only about 10 minutes away. Rin turned the key in the ignition, backed out of her space and hit the road. Her mind began to wander back to Kuromaru.

She noticed the business card had no surname, and he didn't mention his. The man appeared to be human, but she knew appearance meant very little to determine his species. The way he was able to keep himself hidden from public eye while owning such a high-profile establishment, the man could have been a shape-shifter for all she knew. 'Still…' She had not expected his friendly gaze. There was no judgment in his eyes, no disgust or hatred. He showed a genuine interest in her abilities, and seemed to not be interested in anything else.

'I wonder if father would approve, it would be more money coming in…' Rin turned at a red light, and kept driving down the street. She hoped the subject wouldn't cause too much trouble, and the thought of not even asking him and just going with it crossed her mind, but she knew that would not be a good idea. 'If he ever finds out…' The woman shuddered, shaking those thoughts out of her head. She would deal with it when she got to the house.

Rin stared at the taillights in her vision, waiting for the congestion of cars to clear itself. 'Ah, come on…! So close!' She smiled when the vehicle in front of her moved just enough for her to turn into the parking lot of the parlor. She stepped out of her car after parking, and walked up to the bright white little store, the words "The Whole Scoop" was lit up over the front entrance. "Rin, you're early! Hi!" A blushing young boy behind the counter greeted her, always happy to see her.

'Hi, Kohaku!' She wished she could reply, but instead gave him a big smile with a wave as she made her way to the ice cream.

"What will you have today? Same as always, vanilla ice cream with double chocolate chip cookie dough, caramel, fudge and whipped cream in a chocolate-dipped waffle cup?" She nodded eagerly, and the young boy chuckled before proceeding with her order. She came here at least twice a week, so the employees of the parlor learned her name quickly. They were all friendly to her though two stood out the most, quickly becoming good friends with her: Asagi and Kohaku.

He was about her age, she guessed, maybe 2-3 years older, and had the whole boy-ish charm going for him. She liked the cute freckles that decorated his cheeks, his unruly bangs, and the way his face brightened whenever she walked in. Rin looked into her purse for cash, pulling out the exact amount she already had memorized and setting it next to the register. The young man finished preparing her dessert in a few minutes, handing it to her with a wide grin. "Here you go!"

Rin jumped in enthusiasm, accepting the dessert and bowing her thanks before grabbing one of the many plastic spoons and a couple of napkins. She walked over to the usual corner booth she would occupy at the front of the store and made herself comfortable. The parlor was near the center of a very busy nightlife kind of street and many different kinds of people would come and go. She liked to watch those people from the large glass window, since she couldn't properly interact with them…

The front door chime interrupted her dimming thoughts and she looked over, spoon still in her mouth. 'It's that man and woman…' A tall, broad-shouldered man with cropped black hair and moon-kissed skin walked in with a small, but curvy, woman with large eyes whose color reminded her of rubies. The pair was greeted by Kohaku as they made their way to the selection of ice creams. She knew the man was a regular long before her according to one of the female employees, Asagi, and the woman just recently started coming in with him about a month ago.

Rin rarely heard the man speak; the woman seemed to do all of the talking. 'I can count on one hand the times I have heard his voice in the past 4 months.' He carried himself in a way that seemed distant and aloof, she had never seen him laugh or smile, and he always seemed to be in perfect condition. Not a strand of hair out of place, not a wrinkle in his expensive charcoal suit, not a spot on his leather shoes, and not a single crack in his cold demeanor.

Normally, she wouldn't care to find out more about such a man who seemed to fit the whole powerful and arrogant businessman stereotype, but the whole love-for-ice-cream thing didn't really fit with what she perceived his personality was… "The usual vanilla with double chocolate chip cookie dough, caramel, fudge, whipped cream in a chocolate-dipped waffle cup for you, sir?" And that they both had the _exact same_ favorite ice cream combination. Rin hadn't realized how much she was staring until the man met her eyes while the woman next to him was contemplating her decision.

'And those eyes…' If it wasn't for the threatening frost in his gaze, she would have been able to get lost in the Alice blue shade. 'Pfft, I could get frostbite, I don't care.' But she averted her eyes from his after a few seconds of staring when he didn't look away, feeling incredibly awkward.

"I'll have the cake batter ice cream with pieces of red velvet cake and whipped cream." The woman gave her order.

'That doesn't sound all that bad. It's been awhile since I had red velvet…' Rin picked at her ice cream a bit, her mood falling. 'I miss Mom's special red velvet cake…' "Hey Rin!" A blue-haired hanyou sat across from her, her olive eyes bright with excitement. "He said yes! I got a date for prom!" Rin cracked a large grin, holding the girl's hands and jumping in her seat with joy. 'I'm so happy for you, Asagi!' "I can't believe he said yes. You HAVE to help me pick out what to wear!" She nodded, but doubted she would actually be able to help her friend despite how much she wished to.

"Ugh, I hope the night goes well. It's a week and a half away but I'm already so nervous! Did you ever—oh wait!" Asagi ran up to the counter, quickly grabbing a pad of paper and pen before running back to her booth and setting down the items in front of her. "Did you ever go to prom?" Rin shook her head. "Why not?"

She grabbed the pen and paper, jotting down the words "No time, no date, no money. ):" It wasn't a complete lie.

"Aw, nooo." The hanyou said with a pout, "Well, at least you got rid of school early. I wish I was as smart as you, Rin." A large group of people walked in at that moment, and Asagi sighed dramatically. "I guess I have to work now. Talk to you later!" The bluenette skipped over to join Kohaku behind the counter.

Rin went back to her ice cream, content to listen to the orders of the random people as she munched on her dessert. Her eyes scanned the parlor until they landed on the man and woman from earlier, who were sitting across in the booths on the adjacent wall. She quietly pondered if the man always looked like he was bored out of his mind, and if the woman always blatantly ignored his obvious disinterest in whatever they were talking about. She shrugged it all off, her gaze shifted to outside the window where she people-watched until her ice cream and waffle cup were gone. She glanced at the clock on her phone, 'I killed an hour, not too bad.'

The woman gathered her things, and dumped away her trash, before exiting the parlor as she waved her goodbyes to Asagi and Kohaku. Rin got into her car and began to head to her house. She arrived about 30 minutes later, frowning when she saw her father's truck in the driveway.

"You're early." Rin heard her father's gruff voice the moment she walked in. He was sitting at the dinette, a bottle of whiskey and coke alongside a half-empty glass on the small table. She bowed her head, and rummaged through her purse. She gave her father what he usually expected—around $400. If she could just keep the rest without him knowing, it would help her so much… "Huh, generous clients today?" He stuffed the bills into his rough jeans, before downing the entirety of what was in his glass.

Rin nodded slowly, not liking that he was drinking. It never ended well. "Oh, yeah? Are you just finally selling your pussy like the whore you are?" She shook her head vigorously, backing away when her father stood from the stool and tried to approach her. "Don't give me that. Being paid in $100s?" He growled, backhanding her clear across her face. She stumbled at the impact, her hand coming up to press against her hot cheek. "Don't fucking lie to me. 100s… Think you're some high-class whore now?!" She kept shaking her head no, but she knew it was all in vain. "Think your old man too good for you now?!" He slapped her twice more, the second with enough force to push her down to the floor.

"I'm sick of looking at you." When she made a move to rise, he kicked her in the ribs and she bit back her cry of pain. She stayed still, her eyes clenched shut and facing the floor. She dared not to make another move or noise, wishing that he would simply walk away this time. It seems this time her wishes would be granted."I'm going out. Don't you dare fucking leave this house when I'm gone." Once she heard the click of the front door, she allowed the tears in the corner of her eyes to fall.

Rin shook her head, trying to shake off her discomfort as she stood, wincing from the pain in her abdomen. She went to the bathroom first; her eyes immediately fell on the mirror above the vanity. Her movements were automated, and she had been through all this before, several times. Her fingertips brushed against the redness swelling in her cheeks. The same hand opened the medicine cabinet nearby, and she popped two pills of Ibuprofen before shutting the cabinet. She had the thoughts of what did she do wrong…

She was doing what he wanted. She _always_ did what he wanted.

Why was her father so angry with her all the time? No matter what, it was never enough.

'Mom, why did you leave?' Her hands were on the sides of the sink, leaning forward with her head hung low. 'Why did they take you away from us?' She clenched her fists; her sadness turned into anger, and turned into sadness again. It was a cycle she couldn't find a way to break. 'Not with him…' She couldn't keep going with her father. She didn't want to let him go, memories of the man he used to be made her hold fast to a belief he _could _be that man again.

'But it's been 4 years now… and he is only getting worse.' Her first clue to runaway should have been the first time she saw a couple of gang members in the house, but she thought—foolishly hoped—that it was nothing. Nothing to worry about. Then the weapons… the heavier drinking, the fights, the abuse… the loss of her voice and his refusal to get her any help... forcing her into work, work someone her age shouldn't have been doing… not letting her go to college, not allowing her to better herself in any way… _not letting her leave_. She was wrong, she had never been more wrong and paid for it every day since then.

Despite everything, Rin couldn't just leave. 'Mom wouldn't want that, she would want me to help him…' But he put himself so far beyond her reach… 'I can't... There's nothing I can do.' She could only help herself, and have faith that when she was finally gone, maybe then he would realize what he has done. The woman sighed, standing up straight. Her mind going in circles once more, unable to decide to leave or to stay. 'You've been like this for 4 years, Rin, come on…' But that logic didn't fight off the opposing thoughts as well as it should have.

The woman realized she didn't have the chance to bring up her opportunity at Shikon, 'Maybe then he would understand why I was paid like that…' He wouldn't apologize even if he did make that realization, and she knew this. He would probably up her 'daily rent' to a crazy amount, to leave her just enough for clothing and food again, but not enough to save for anything else, to keep her there.

Rin decided to take a shower, she would wash away the bleak thoughts and false shame her father caused and tomorrow, she would head to Shikon without a word to him.

'You won't take this, you won't take anything else away from me. I won't let you.' She only wished her resolve tonight would stay just as strong tomorrow morning.

**End of Chapter 1**

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**Author's Note:** I desperately need an AU story to write on the side while working on Remember. I had a couple of old stories I wanted to bring back, but I decided to choose this one for now. This story was previously published on my alt penname and never made it past the first chapter (oopsss), if anyone remembers it. This chapter is new from top to bottom though, since I lost all that ever written on that alt account. Annnddd, there isn't much else to say. lol

I hope you enjoyed it! :D


	2. Cookie Dough

POISON | Love Her

**Chapter 2**

Cookie Dough

'Thoughts/Rin's writing'

_Flashbacks_

Original Publish Date: 3/25/2014

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It was two in the afternoon and her father still hadn't returned from wherever he ran off to the night before. Rin couldn't help the small twinge of worry she felt but she pushed it aside, continuing to get dressed. She slipped on a pair of black active, fitted shorts, a racerback sports bra, and a simple pink tank top, before pulling down a lightweight hoodie over her torso.

She skipped over to the bathroom to examine her face. The ice and medicine helped greatly with the swelling, the makeup covered any discolorations pretty well. As long as no one got too close to her face, no one be wiser.

Rin grabbed her phone, flipping it open to send a quick text to Kagome. With how busy it all was last night, and her eagerness to leave, it had completely slipped her mind to tell her friend about her job offer! 'I'm heading to Shikon in a bit. They want me to try out. Wish me luck! :D' She typed before shutting the phone and slipping it into her hoodie's pocket. She grabbed her keys and purse, taking one last look at her room to ensure she didn't forget anything before she quickly made her way out of her house and into her car.

It took nearly an hour and a half to reach the entrance of Shikon with all the traffic and city construction along the way. She stepped out of her vehicle, her eyes plastered on the two-story building in front of her. The architecture was reminiscent of Japanese feudal era mansions, the word 'SHIKON' in a modern, bold font stood on top of the main door.

Rin never had the chance to enter the club before, the business accumulated a line quickly regardless of what day of the week it was, and she heard any events had to be reserved nearly a month in advance.

She approached the front double doors, where a rather large, intimating bouncer protected the doors. "What do you want? We aren't opened for another hour." She blinked up at him, before rummaging into her bag for her paper pad and a pen. She quickly jotted down the words, 'Kuromaru asked me to drop by to try out.' Before showing the paper to the bouncer.

"Huh, you must be that mute girl. Alright, go ahead." The man opened up the door for her. She did a quick bow as thanks before hurrying inside. Her eyes widened in awe, taking in the immense, lit stage with twin poles that reached up to the second floor, the large bar that stretched throughout the entire wall on her left, the pristine, onyx leather seats surrounding various tables scattered throughout the club.

"Yo. Are you Rin?" She jumped at the sound of a familiar voice, turning her attention to a female youkai approaching her. Her ruby-colored eyes flickered with recognition as she rested a hand on her hip. "… Have we met before?"

Rin jotted down the words, 'No, but I've seen you at The Whole Scoop! C:'

The youkai raised an eyebrow, "That's right… My name is Kagura, one of the four, well at the moment three, main 'attractions' here. Kuromaru will be with you in a second, he's busy with that perverse dragon—"

"Kagura, you speak so ill of me…" Rin swallowed hard at the sound of a voice she would never forget, one of the most dangerous mafia lords in the country, Ryukotsusei. The daiyoukai still looked the same as he did when she first got a glimpse of him eleven years ago…

_"Rin, stay back." The young girl clutched her mother's pant leg, hiding behind her as a tall, well-dressed man advanced. His hair reached his waist, an exotic light, gray-purple hue, his eyes were transparent emerald with specks of blue, and his skin rivaled the color of porcelain. She would have found the man pretty, if it wasn't for the ugly smirk that tainted his face and the dangerous sparks from his aura. _

_"Emiko, it's been awhile." Rin felt her mother shaking through the clothing, and she wondered who the man was._

_"Not long enough." She hissed, her hand pushing Rin's face further behind her. _

_"Oh, you have a daughter? How old is she?" _

_"That is none of your business, Ryukotsusei."_

_The daiyoukai growled, grabbing her mother's chin with his clawed hand. His eyes flashed red, "It is, Emiko, it is. All of your affairs are a great 'concern' to me until your family has returned what is rightfully mine." _

_Rin moved from behind her mother, bashing her tiny fists against the dragon's leg. "Let her go! Leave mommy alone!" The daiyoukai released her mother and those fierce eyes then landed on her, paralyzing her in place—_

"Rin? My, my. How you have grown." The daiyoukai's voice cut through her memories, bringing her back to reality. His lecherous eyes blatantly took in her body, taking their time on her exposed legs. She didn't acknowledge his words or his stare. How he knew her mother she never found out, but she still trusted her judgment.

"You know her?" Kuromaru appeared next to the daiyoukai, a curious look on his face.

"Not personally, which is very unfortunate. Your mother never wanted to talk…" The dragon smirked, "Though if she is working here now, you will be seeing a lot more of me."

"Wonderful." Kagura remarked with a dry tone. "Weren't you leaving?"

"Kagura…" Kuromaru started, a hint of warning in his tone.

"No, she's right. I must get going. It was a pleasure to see you all again." Rin held her ground when the daiyoukai brushed past her. She was tense until she heard the click of the door shutting behind him.

"I'm guessing you don't like him?" Kagura asked, pointing out the pad of paper she crushed in her hand. 'When did I do that?' "Not many do. Unfortunately for us, he's a regular." Rin frowned, second-guessing her decision. If having to deal with the dragon frequently was part of the job—

"He knows where the line is drawn." Kuromaru said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "If he causes too much trouble, you let me know personally." Rin blinked up at him, she felt the warmth of his hand through her thin clothing. She didn't understand his kindness, unless he was simply just trying to reel her in…? "Now, why don't you show us what you can do?"

-:-

"Wow." Kagura said after the song ended. She and Kuromaru were sitting on one of the many leather chairs surrounding the main stage. "Not many girls come in here confident enough to swing from one pole to the other, especially human girls." Rin walked up to the end of the stage, smiling at Kagura's praise.

"Do you approve?" Kuromaru asked Kagura, his brown eyes never left Rin's. It made her nervous, wanting something to cover herself. It wasn't the hint of lust that bothered her, she was desensitized to such things, it was the way his eyes pierced through her as if nothing could be hidden from his gaze. How was he able to look at someone so intensely so openly?

"I wouldn't mind. She won't be holding any of us back it seems."

"Well, then, Rin…" He stood from the seat, offering his hand. She accepted it, jumping down from the stage. "Welcome to Shikon." She smiled brightly, wrapping her arms around Kuromaru's neck without a thought. 'Yes, yes, yes!' It was a start to something better. She pulled away; missing the man's shocked expression.

"You won't be able to meet most of the other girls right now… but Sango should be in the back. Come on, I'll introduce you." Rin nodded, grabbing the tank top and hoodie she removed before following Kagura to the backroom. "Yo, Sango."

Rin's eyes immediately dropped to the woman's powerful thighs and sculpted abs before moving her gaze upward, taking notice of her large chest and toned arms. She was built like a warrior! "Hey Kagura." The woman crossed her arms, "Who's this?"

"This is Rin. She's Kikyo's replacement."

Sango smiled, offering her hand. "It's nice to meet you." Rin smiled back and shook the older woman's hand. "It's nice to finally have another human around here. I would love to chat, but I only got another 15 minutes to finish getting ready."

"Alright, alright, we'll leave you alone." Kagura gave her a short tour of the first floor of the club, mentioning the second floor was more for VIPs, or whoever was willing to pay the crazy cost to get a spot up there. She gave her a warning about the private rooms. "You can do whatever you want past those doors, just don't leave anything behind. Leaving those rooms a mess is grounds for dismissal." She nodded her understanding; she wasn't planning to ever use those rooms anyway.

The club's doors had already opened, and people already began to make their way inside despite no dancers being out yet. "We open the doors a little early so everyone can get comfortable, this place can get very hectic on the weekends." Kagura's phone chimed and she gave the device a quick look.

"Hey, you got any plans right now?" Rin shook her head. "Want to head to The Whole Scoop? I'll be meeting a friend there." She didn't even think about it, accepting her offer and hoping the friend was the mystery cookie dough man.

-:-

The two women left their respective cars after parking in the ice cream parlor's small parking lot. Rin stood beside Kagura who was leaning against the trunk of her sporty red convertible. "He should be here any second—there he is." A silver Aston Martin pulled into the lot, parking in the back where no other cars would be near it. 'That's a really nice car.' Rin thought, watching the mysterious cookie dough man exiting his vehicle with a ridiculous amount of grace. He wore an expensive suit like always, though this time it was a navy color.

"Who's this?" The question almost sounded if as he was disgusted by her presence and Rin resisted the urge to glare at the man. 'How rude!'

"Rin, the newbie at Shikon." Kagura responded, "Let's go inside, I'm dying to try their new flavor." The three walked into the parlor, a new face greeting them behind the counter.

"Hi there! Welcome to The Whole Scoop!" Rin didn't recognize this employee, 'He must be new.' "What can I get for you?" He asked, starting with her. She blinked at him and back down at the ice cream. She had thrown out her crushed paper pad and now couldn't write her order down. She pointed at the vanilla ice cream, though with how the creams were laid out… "Are you pointing at the cake batter or vanilla?"

"She's pointing at the vanilla." Asagi appeared from the back room, standing next to the new employee. "Shippo, this is Rin. Rin, Shippo. Take care of the other two, I got her." The boy nodded and directed his attention to the man and Kagura.

"I know you want vanilla BUT…" The bluenette leaned over the counter, a hand covering one side of her face. "We got some good stuff in today." She made her way over the end of the ice cream rows where new flavors were placed. Rin wondered why her friend was behaving suspiciously, 'Asagi is so silly.' "Vanilla ice cream with cookie dough swirls. _Pure cookie dough swirls_, Rin. No one can beat this stuff." Rin perked up at the sound of cookie dough. Can she possibly be able to put MORE cookie dough in her ice cream than ever before? Asagi looked at the man, realizing she caught his attention as well. "I know you're interested too~" The bluenette giggled, "You both want to try it with your regular combinations?"

The two nodded simultaneously and without hesitation then gave each strange looks. Well, she gave him a strange look; he looked at her as if she was unworthy of having such cookie dough awesomeness.

The three sat in a random booth, Rin and Kagura sat on one side with the man across from them. "Both eating the same thing..." The demoness began, "You two know there are other things you can have with your ice cream, right?" Rin smiled at Kagura while the man gave her an annoyed look. The woman sighed, resting her head on hand. "A mute and a man who might as well be mute. Looks like I'll be doing all the talking _again_."

"You are mute?" Rin nodded at the man's question. "Can you sign?" She tensed up at his question. She wanted to learn sign language since she lost her voice, but her father wouldn't allow her to enroll in any classes at her high school. It was something she was ashamed of, to her, it made her appear lazy… especially to those who thought she was mute since birth. Rin solemnly shook her head, and the man gave the exact look she expected and it only made her feel worse.

"I prefer the pen and paper any way." Kagura said, as if sensing her dark thoughts. Rin stood, heading to the counter and grabbing the pad of paper that was usually waiting just for her. She returned to her spot next to Kagura and pulled the pen out of her purse, jotting down the words. 'I almost forgot! Thanks!'

The three sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying their desserts. "How do you and Ryukotsusei know each other?" Rin glanced at Kagura, putting down her spoon before she wrote down, 'We don't. My mother knew him somehow.' "Hmm, that's strange." She gave the demoness a puzzled look, but it was the man who responded.

"Ryukotsusei does not make a habit of associating himself with humans, especially those that have nothing to offer." There was something about the way he said it that made her feel there was an insult somewhere in there… in that 'nothing to offer' part...

"The only thing he seemed interested in was sex." Kagura said before taking a bite of ice cream. "I don't think he thinks of anything else." Rin scrunched up her nose, the dragon was still as good-looking as he was years ago… but the thought of doing anything with him almost made her gag and throw out her ice cream…

Almost. No way was she throwing her dessert out!

The demoness' phone went off; she exchanged a few hushed words with whoever called her before putting the device away. "Well, I'd hate to leave so soon but I have to go take care of someone—something." Rin stood to allow Kagura slide out of the booth. "See ya two later."

And now it was just them. Rin shifted to the center of her seat, directly across from the older man in front of her. The two were only about half-way done with their ice creams. 'What do we even talk about?' She thought, unable to think of a way to break the silence, not that she could… technically. 'Oh, that's right!'

She grabbed the paper and quickly scribbled, 'I never got your name.'

The man looked her over once, before returning to his dessert. "Takahashi will suffice." It didn't shock her that he didn't give his first name.

'What do you for work?' She jotted down.

"I own a multinational private equity firm." 'Fancy.' She thought, unsurprised by his answer. How else would afford his expensive suits and nice car?

'Do you like it?' She wrote. She was honestly curious. The man seemed so uptight… Takahashi stared at the note for a moment.

"It is… sufficient." She nearly rolled her eyes at the evasive answer. "Do you enjoy stripping for lowly, perverted strangers?"

She flinched at his aggressive and disgusted tone, not knowing what she did to cause it. Did her profession offend him so much? It didn't seem like he treated Kagura with such malice… 'No.' She wrote, as if his tone didn't affect her. 'Long hours, grabby clients. I'm hoping Shikon would be better, but with Ryukotsusei…'

"Then why do you continue to do it?" That always seemed to the question everyone would ask her or the other dancers. Your job is degrading, you're unhappy, just change it! As if it was so easy to get out of it. The money she would make at a 'normal' job would never pay enough of her father's climbing rent and it was impossible to put money aside for school…

She began to write, 'It's not that easy.' She was going to put more but stopped herself. Would he really understand?

She prayed to whichever holy deity caused the man's phone to ring. She saw his jaw tightened as a squeaky voice on the other end rambled on about accounts or something. 'A work-related call…?' His eyes hardened as the voice continued—she swore she heard a crack of plastic from the phone—and she began to think he was going to pop a vein in his head...

"I will be there in 10 minutes." Takahashi slipped the phone back in his blazer. He said nothing in parting but Rin smiled up at him anyway, waving her goodbye as he left the parlor. Her eyes landed on the cup he left on the table, and she peeked inside. 'Oh my god, there's still ice cream in there!'

-:-

Takahashi stepped into his silver Aston Martin DBS Volante. He turned the key in the ignition, the car's V12 engine roaring to life, and quickly made his way out to the highway. He had just dealt with one of his many businesses that were so bold to believe that they longer needed his assistance or protection. He quickly reminded the owners just how little they actually owned of their company, and with a bit of rough persuasion, just how much they needed his security.

His mind wandered off to the petite girl that Kagura brought in, or more of what Ryukotsusei would want with her. The demoness had already informed him of the dragon's interest before he had arrived to the parlor; he had just wanted to get a look at her. She was a human who barely reached his shoulders in height, appeared to be very young with wild raven hair and expressive brown eyes, and was mute of all things.

'What could Ryukotsusei possibly want with her?' Kagura mentioned she was to begin working at Shikon, which made things a bit difficult. Surely the spider hanyou was already plotting ways to use the girl for his personal gain beyond the strip club. Though the wind demoness said he knew nothing more about her connection with the dragon… yet.

He would have to find out first, perhaps the information he finds would be useful against the daiyoukai… It was simply too bazaar to ignore. Ryukotsusei's hatred for humans far surpassed his own; the dragon went as far as promoting genocide of humans around what was left of the youkai race. Only a select few shared Ryukotsusei's extreme vision.

In fact, Naraku was the only being with human blood that had prolonged contact with the dragon and lived to tell about it in the past century—that was surely only because the dragon has eyeing the crime lord's territory for some time now and Ryukotsusei enjoyed… playing with his food, so to speak.

Abruptly, the memory of the young woman smiling flashed in his mind. He briefly wondered how such a quiet, naïve woman turned to stripping, and if the bruise she tried to cover on her face had anything to do with it. His now-golden eyes narrowed, 'That is none of my concern.'

Whatever human trouble the woman had was of no interest to him, only her relation to Ryukotsusei.

-:-

Rin was surprised to find an empty house when she got home, but more so was relieved. Hopefully her father didn't notice her absence. She placed the bit of groceries she purchased to make dinner for her father. He didn't ask for it, but she rather avoid any… complications. She began chopping up the vegetables and her mind roamed off to recap her day.

Shikon was a massive club. The glimpse of the crowd that came in before confirmed the type of money she would be making, 'Even without Kuromaru's second contribution…' She glanced at her purse at the end of the counter, a few hundreds tucked inside as a 'signing bonus' he called it. She tried to give it back—she only did two dances and that certainly didn't count—but he insisted. 'He's a strange man.' She concluded, 'Just throwing money around like that…' She hoped it wasn't because he wanted something else, but she knew how the world worked.

Rin sautéed the onions, mushrooms, bell pepper, carrots and broccoli in coconut oil on a large wok. She checked her phone, and responded to Kagome's good luck text from earlier, letting her know she would be joining the club. Now only to tell Kaguya she will no longer be working at Blue Moon...

She didn't hear the front door open through the sound of sizzling food and her buzzing thoughts. She nearly jumped when her father walked into the kitchen, placing a hand over her chest. The woman got over her shock, waving at the older man before she continued cooking. Her father said nothing and leaned against the doorway that divided the kitchen and dining room.

"Where'd you go?" Rin paused mid-stir, her heart beginning to pound in her chest. 'Should I just tell the truth? … Of course, what else can I say?'

She jotted down the words, 'I was at another club, trying out.' Her pen stopped after the period, and she wondered if this was the best way to—he snatched the paper away before she could do anything else.

"That's interesting… because I could have sworn I ordered you to _stay here_." He said harshly, slamming down the paper where she had it. Rin rapidly removed the veggies from the wok, and threw in the strips of marinated chicken.

'I know but it was my only chance to try out… I thought more money would be good?' Rin hoped he would take the distraction of more cash…

"You trying to leave?" She bit back the whimper when he grabbed her arm. His auburn eyes were wild, paranoid. Rin shook her head, thinking 'It's going to happen again…' He wasn't going to believe her for the umpteenth time, regardless that she had been by his side for years. "Really? Because… you didn't mention any of this last night… and that makes me think that… you…" His grip tightened, "… are planning somethin'."

Rin shook her head, pleading eyes staring up at her father. 'Let me go.' She thought, but she didn't struggle, not wanting to get a rise out of him. Even though he would do it on his own with whatever thoughts haunted him… She glanced at the burning wok, 'It would be one quick hit…' And that thought disturbed her. She never considered hurting him back, but she was nearing a breaking point…

The sharp sting of his backhand told her that he probably caught her glance and knew what she thought. In a sick way, she actually thought she deserved that one. "You ain't getting away. Nah..." The grip on her arm disappeared, to return around her neck. Her eyes widened, and her hands gripped the thick wrists, trying to pull the strong hands away from her throat. Her back was slammed against the refrigerator, then the concrete wall beside it, her head taking the brunt of the blows. "You're never getting away from me…"

Black spots assaulted her vision as she struggled to breathe; she tried kicking him, she tried digging her nails into his arm and wrist, she tried to reach his face to do something—anything to get him to stop, but he kept strangling her with unbridled force. Her sense of hearing began back to fade. "You ain't leaving… Never… I wo… et… yo… o… …R…"

Her eyes rolled to the back of head, and then… there was nothing, just the cold comfort of darkness.

**End of Chapter 2**

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**Author's Note: **Wow, this story got a lot more attention than I was expecting for the first chapter… lol, I'm glad you guys like it and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Thanks to Mirja, dreamer623, anonymous, I love Siberian tigers (omg, so do I), jj, Carmen, L.M.T.O.P, and icegirljenni for reviewing!


	3. Bruises

POISON | Love Her

**Chapter 3**

Bruises

'Thoughts/Rin's writing'

_Flashbacks_

Original Publish Date: 3/28/2014

* * *

Rin rolled out of bed, groaning in pain when her feet didn't quite make it to the floor first and she ended up falling completely. Her face was flat on the floor, her sigh of defeat muffled by the beige carpet. She was sore _everywhere_. She had bruises _everywhere_. No amount of sleep seemed to be enough for her exhausted body.

She knew the job at Shikon would probably result in more work, but not like this! 'No wonder most of the dancers are demons!' She raised herself off the floor just enough to throw her arms over the top of her bed and rest her head on the edge. Her lids were heavy, the covers were soft and inviting—but she couldn't go back to sleep!

Rin had to spend about an hour with a bottle of foundation and concealer, and then she had to take the bus to Shikon which took about another 1-2 hours depending. If her father hadn't taken away her car, she would have been able to sleep more...

It had been a month since he nearly strangled her to death, and it wasn't the last time. Something in her father changed that day, and now the man that lived in the other room was a complete stranger. She no longer saw a single trace of the gentle, caring man he once was in his gaze, only the cold, dead eyes of an angry, broken man… And every time she began to feel pity for him, another bruise was made to remind her of her foolishness.

She got up on her feet, stretching her worn body. Rin placed her hands on the furniture chest in front of her, looking into the wide mirror. 'Mom, what do I do?' She wiped the tears that began to roll down her cheeks, 'I wish you were here, things would be better…' She shook her head, shaking the thoughts away.

Rin entered the bathroom, determined to take a long, hot shower to relax her muscles. The warm water felt wonderful against her skin, one of the few comforts her body knew. She shampooed her hair, working the unscented product into her scalp. Aside from being a bit overworked, her time at Shikon was better than her experience at Blue Moon, and far surpassed anything before that.

Kuromaru was _very _protective over his dancers, nothing like her previous bosses. 'I suppose with many of the clients being hanyou and demons, it only makes sense…' Anyone inhuman can do serious damage to their exposed bodies, and a scratched girl is a dancer that won't be bringing money to the club…

… Unless Ryukotsusei is around. The dragon had a tasteless fetish for 'damaged girls'. She had learned that quickly, in fact on her first official day. He paid for her to come up on the second floor and dance for him and some of his accomplices…

_"A human? Are you feeling well, Lord Ryukotsusei?" A younger dragon who sat next to the daiyoukai commented when she stepped up on the mini-stage, dressed in a Lolita outfit _by request_._

_The older dragon chuckled, "I admit, it is out of my norm…"_

_"It is completely out of it, not that I mind…" A hyena youkai commented as he was licking her lips at her. It made her shiver in disgust. _

_"… But she has such a sweet face, and appears so young with those sad little eyes… The bruises coloring her skin only add to her appeal." Rin froze at the last comment, glancing down at her exposed thighs and mid-section. Her makeup was still covering her bruises well and the lighting was dim in their section, 'How can he tell?' "You know, Rin…" The dragon leaned forward, resting his forearms on top of his knees with his hands entwined in front. His eyes were on her and she didn't look away, she won't let him scare her._

_"I never considered you would like being beaten around. It's very tantalizing…" That smirk came up again, "Perhaps you would enjoy being my whore for the night."_

Rin blinked at her fist that had made its way to the bathroom wall and succeeding in cracking one of the small tiles. 'Oops…' She retracted her fist, putting in under the stream of water. 'If only I can knock _him_ out.' She never wanted to hurt someone so much in her life. She didn't keep the dragon's money, no matter how much he or friends threw at her. The dirty money went either to pay her stipend to the club or to her father. Rin turned off the water after she finished cleaning herself, stepping out of the shower and toweling off.

Every time she had contact with the dragon or his men, Kuromaru required her to give him a report about it. It made her highly suspicious; it was too similar to what she did for her father back at Blue Moon.

'But Shikon is on the northside of 12th street.' Which meant it was nowhere near Ryukotsusei's territory, but in Naraku's region if she remembered correctly. She wondered if the man paid protection money to Naraku, or if they had any affiliation. There had to be _something_ there if the man was so interested in the dragon's dealings in his club.

Rin began the concealing ritual for any discolorations on her body, starting with her thighs. Once finished, she moved on to her midsection, and used a spray foundation for her back. She blended out the concealed areas with foundation until she was satisfied, before spraying a light mist of setting spray on the makeup.

She sighed in annoyance, looking down on her body. It was getting to be too much to conceal and if she wasn't careful to set the makeup ever so often, it would rub off on her costumes and the poles. She put away the makeup bottles, then exited the bathroom to go into her room. She used the cold-shot of her blow-dryer to quickly dry the setting spray on her body before she moved on to her hair. Rin glanced up at the clock, she was making good time.

'If tonight isn't too hectic, I should stop by The Whole Scoop. It's been way too long.' The ice cream should help make everything a little better.

-:-

"Rin, I would like to speak with you." She had just finished a dance for a small group of young, loud, and surprisingly respectful half-demons when Kuromaru approached her. Rin nodded at him, a bit reluctant due to his serious expression. 'Did I do something wrong?' She thought nervously as she followed the man into his office, tucked away in the back of club. He opened the door for her and she stepped inside as her arms hugged her upper body. 'It's so cold in here.' Her heart jumped when she heard him lock the door.

"Calm down, you are not in any trouble." The tall man stated, coming around to face her. "At least not with me. I thought your bruises were simply because of the dancing and you were not accustomed to use the pole so much…" He leaned against his cherry wood desk, "But it's been a month, and I see that you come in every day exhausted and darker than before. Are one of my customers giving you a … hard time, Rin? Be honest."

She shook her head. She was terrified of where the conversation was going. She didn't want to lose this job!

"Then what is it?" He crossed his arms over his chest, giving her that intense glare. She bit her bottom lip, unsure of what to do, of where to start, what to say—the truth she couldn't reveal. It was shameful. Abruptly, the man straightened up, and went around, pulling a small tube from a drawer in his desk. He offered it to her, and accepted. It looked like a cross between oregano and parsley. 'Is he giving drugs? Why in the world would he—'

"What you hold in your hand… is lethal." She looked up at him in shock as he continued to speak. "I don't know what happens outside these walls when you leave, but it concerns me when it affects your performance. Our customers, they love you. I don't want to let you go." He crossed his arms again, "Frankly, I won't. So whoever thinks they have the right to continue to harm you as my dancer... Sprinkle it on their food, it's the easiest way. It's not detectable. It won't trace back to you or me, and they will die quietly, peacefully if you care."

Rin froze in place at the word 'die'. Her eyes dropped down to the vial, she realized her hand was shaking. She couldn't do this. No way could she—

"Or you can try reconciling with whoever beats you like I'm sure you have been trying for months, maybe years. Working here, I've heard and seen it all, Rin. I've offered this choice to many women before you that were in your position. Some do it and move on, some don't, and those who don't…? Well, the abuser usually busts in here at some point, demanding his woman back. I'm sure you know… that is a poor, poor decision."

She knew exactly what he was speaking about. It happened only last week with one of the back-up dancers. The woman had been sent to Kuromaru's office and the man was dragged to the back alley of the club by two youkai she never seen before. She didn't know what the feud was about, but now he cleared it up. She hadn't seen either of them since.

Rin clutched the vial in her hand. Her father had threatened to come to Shikon himself and drag her off back to where he wanted her, more than once.

"You can keep that. Though its potency wears off over time, in about 2 months it would be useless. I suggest you make your decision sooner rather than later." He turned and sat at his desk, slipping on reading glasses. He began to rummage through paperwork, as if he was not just discussing murder. She couldn't peel her eyes away from the vial. 'Is this… real? Is this really happening?' "Finish up your night. Go out, enjoy yourself." Rin nodded slowly, and left his office.

She needed a distraction. 'Ice cream…' She'll just have some ice cream and think… a lot.

-:-

Takahashi turned off his car, leaning back into the genuine leather seat as he checked his phone once again. Kagura hadn't contacted him in the past three days which was highly unusual for the wind sorceress. He had no desire to go to Shikon and to figure out her whereabouts. Off-handedly, he also realized he hadn't seen the human girl in the parlor for quite some time. Kagura had kept him up-to-date with any transgression between the two, and aside from perverted abnormalities, the dragon did not reveal anything worthwhile yet.

The man left his automobile, walked into the ice cream parlor and ordered his usual dessert. As he waited, he scanned the room and was surprised to see the petite woman was actually here, sitting in her usual booth by the front windows.

She seemed to be distracted. She was picking at her ice cream, her eyes were downcast and frequently glanced to her purse. He watched her hand slide its way up her throat; she swallowed thickly and shook her head, returning her hand back to her lap. "Here you go, sir." The man handed a black credit card to the young employee, paid for his treat, and walked to her booth.

The human didn't realize his presence until he sat across from her, causing her to jump with surprise. Spoon in her closed mouth, she gave him a small smile and wave… but he couldn't take his eyes off the darkness around her neck, his sharp vision could see the imprints of the fingers that had wrapped around her throat.

She pulled out her purple pen and paper pad, 'Hi! It's been awhile.' He nodded in agreement.

"Have you seen Kagura recently?"

Rin shook her head before writing, 'No, I haven't seen her in the last couple of days.' They sat in silence for a few moments. He enjoyed quiet, but this time it was unnerving. He looked out the window, but people-watching was not something he enjoyed. She was about to take a bite of her ice cream when he was compelled to finally ask,

"Where did you get those bruises?" She stopped mid-way, her spoon gradually descended back into her cold dessert. He could see the shock on her face from the corner of his vision. When she made no move to respond, he reiterated, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." This time he did look at her.

And she smiled at him, but it was nothing like before when it was out of courtesy. It was an honest, wide, toothy grin that brightened her entire face, crinkled the corners of her gleaming eyes, and revealed a set of dimples in her rosy cheeks. He didn't understand why she smiled at him like that, or why his heart skipped a beat at the sight. Takahashi began to feel defensive, unsure what to do with such uninhibited joy directed at him. "What are you smiling about? I simply asked a question. I don't care, I'm just curious."

He didn't find her soft giggle mocking, but it caused a ridiculous fluttering sensation in his body. His eyes narrowed, he did not enjoy whatever she was doing to him. She ignored his glare though, opting instead to write on the paper pad, ripping out the sheet after she was done.

'Thank you.' He read, but what was she thanking him for? The woman grabbed her things, waved goodbye at him and hurried out of the parlor. His eyes fell back on the sheet of paper; he gingerly lifted it from the table. She wrote in cursive instead of print, her writing was flawless and easy to read, very unlike the chicken scratch most humans tried to pass off as handwriting. He glanced back at the empty seat in front of him before wordlessly folding the paper and slipping it into his blazer.

-:-

"How many times would you like to do this, Kagura?"

The wind sorceress couldn't speak, but she hoped her eyes said the 'fuck you' that she wanted to yell. She was in the basement at Shikon, cuffed to a pole with chains that were unbreakable to her. She was gagged, half-naked with streaks of her own blood decorating her body, slashes caused by Naraku's whip. She had no sense of time; she guessed it had at least been a few of days since he trapped her down here.

'I'll kill you… I'll kill you…' She chanted in her mind, renewing her struggle against her restraints.

A faint red glow in the darkness was her only warning before an indescribable pain racked her injured body. "Now tell me, who are you reporting to…?" The hanyou approached her, coming into the spotlight that lit her position. With his free hand, he pulled down the gag.

"No one." She responded, "No one but you, Naraku." It was lie, but she be damned if was going to give just yet. Through Sesshomaru, her freedom had a glimmer of possibility that she wasn't willing to forfeit. The spider hanyou narrowed his eyes, his hand clenching her beating heart just a bit. She tried to hold back her sounds of pain, but it was futile. It was too much.

"I don't appreciate liars in my club, Kagura…" He commented, releasing his grip on the organ. "Perhaps you need a couple of more days to think about it." She said nothing to him as he ascended the steps to his office. His form shifted to his soft, deceiving human appearance before he shut the door behind him.

-:-

Rin settled under her covers, wincing at the pain in her abdomen where she was just recently kicked. She left out a soft sigh, her gaze found its way to the drawer where she kept the vial Kuromaru gave her. She had made dinner tonight though she didn't put any of the deadly plant in her father's food… but she also could not bring herself to throw it out either.

Was she capable of doing such a thing? Rin hadn't stopped thinking about it since Kuromaru's words. One side of the mental argument pleaded to not do anything to the man who was still her father, to remember the good times they used to share… but those thoughts were what stopped her from ever getting true help, and fear that he would just return, angrier than before, if arrested or if she was taken away.

The other side of the argument knew this. It reasoned that the man was no longer her father, only by blood. That he never moved on from mother's death, that he was too far into his self-destruction—to the point that he longer cared for her safety and happiness—and this was a chance to relieve him from his pain and her fear.

_"…and they will die quietly, peacefully..."_ Her boss' words echoed in her head. She turned around, facing the opposite side of her room. 'I don't want to think about it anymore.' She groaned, trying to think of _anything_ else.

_"Where did you get those bruises?" His blue eyes didn't seem so cold at that moment, his brows were tight as were his lips. He _almost_ looked worried but she didn't dare to think that he was. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Then he looked at her. The rest of his face smoothed out to his usual stone expression but the eyes that held her gaze were not hard, but warm, even comforting. She noted flecks of gold around his pupils that she swore were not there before._

Rin shoved her face into her pillow, hiding her blushing face from… no one, but it was still embarrassing! She was being silly, that much she knew, but no one else ever asked about her bruises, not honestly like he did. He didn't look her with pity, which would make her feel ashamed, but regarded at her with something more similar to concern, which was rare for her to find. It also another thing, coupled with his habitual ice cream, that didn't fit his cold, uncaring stereotype. She successfully rolled herself into a burrito of blankets, letting out a sigh of satisfaction.

'There is more to you, Mr. Takahashi…' Rin let herself drift off into a mostly peaceful slumber, dreaming of blue eyes and cookie dough.

**End of Chapter 3**

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**Author's Note: **First chapter to end in a somewhat good note! ... sorta, kind of... :P

I want to emphasis that Naraku and Sesshomaru both are wearing human disguises over their humanoid forms. Ryukotsusei doesn't, cause Ryukotsusei don't give a _shit_. Lol. No, but there are reasons... That will be explained later!

And yes, the two just totally reenacted their meeting in the manga/anime, except Sesshy isn't bleeding everywhere. Its too cute to not do! :D

Thank you jj, Carmen, Mirja, icegirljenni, anonymous, and unlockyourdestiny for your continued support and reviews!


	4. Tension

POISON | Love Her

**Chapter 4**

Tension

'Thoughts/Rin's writing'

_Flashbacks_

Original Publish Date: 3/30/2014

* * *

"Yes, I agree… It has been a troublesome thing lately, though I have plans to take care of it… I am aware of the risks… You know I can't say what… How about you join us? It's been years since your last visit here… I believe I have a girl worthy of your time…" Naraku sat behind his desk, tapping the end of a pen on the pad as he spoke on his office phone. "I forgot no one is worthy of your time. Should you decide to take up the offer, there is always a girl and a room here for you, Sesshomaru." The man sneered after hanging up with the youkai.

Ryukotsusei's fetishes he could easily overlook, especially with the money it brought in, but Sesshomaru was entirely different. His holier-than-thou attitude was beyond aggravating. He was making it very difficult to learn more of him. He rarely met with anyone outside his isolated fortress in the west, and had a human disguise that no one knew.

Naraku himself decided to take that same route, but he had a deep suspicion that Sesshomaru already knew of his human identity and suspected that was Kagura's doing. Unfortunately, it was not so simply to create a new one and move on, not after all that he built under this human name.

One of the bouncers entered the room, "Sir, Rin has arrived. She does not look any better…" Kuromaru dismissed the man, a sigh threatening to escape his lips.

'She will do it eventually, when her father drags her down and leaves her nearly as broken as he is, she will turn into an animal like the rest of us.'

-:-

2 Days Later.

"Did you see who is out there!?" Yura busted into the backroom, a large, greedy grin on her face. Rin and Sango were busy changing clothing per Kuromaru's request.

"I'm guessing it has something to do with this." Sango remarked, motioning towards the costume she was putting on.

Yura cocked her head to the side, "I can't tell if you are a stripper or cosplaying with high-level MMO armor…" Rin smiled at the youkai's comment, agreeing with her. She, on the other hand, just finished tying up a white corset over the mostly clear bra that covered the perk of her breasts with rhinestones. "I think Naraku has an inner gamer-nerd that has a total hard on for you, Sango."

"HE IS OUT THERE!?" The strong woman abruptly roared, scaring all the girls in the room. Rin swore she saw smoke coming out of her ears.

"Y-yeah. Chill out!" Yura replied, putting her hands on the dancer's shoulders. "If it helps, all the others are here too…?"

Sango cursed under her breath, "I suppose." Rin gave the human a confused look, and she caught it. The older woman sighed as she began to style her hair. "Naraku and I had a… disagreement a very long time ago. I don't like the man and I never will. He's just as sadistic as Ryukotsusei."

"Hey, Rin, you never met the other two mafia guys right?" Yura asked as she quickly began to change her clothes. She shook her head as she slipped on white thigh-high stockings.

"Guys, she says… They are _lords_ and we have to be more careful around these two than we are with the dragon." Sango said, before she painted her lips a deep red.

"Yeah, yeah, be safe and all that junk." Yura remarked with a dismissive wave of her hand. "What's really important is that Naraku and Sesshomaru pay well, like damn well. You thought Ryukotsusei was throwing his money around? I've seen Naraku make it rain 100s for the hell of it." The hair youkai began to do her makeup, "No matter how short the night may be, we never leave with less than 5k _each_."

Rin blinked in shock, 'That's a ton of money in one night.' She thought as she attached the half-skirt to the back of her corset. She turned to look at her behind in the mirror, making some adjustments to make sure the long fabric hung in the center.

"Usually high-pay equals high-risk." Sango reiterated. "Naraku doesn't deal with rejection well _at all_, I imagine Sesshomaru is the same."

"That's true." Yura mumbled as she curled her lashes. "BUT Rin here looks like she will be Sesshomaru's girl for the night…"

Sango grinned, "Yes, it does… Her costume is far too classy for the taste of those other two jerk-offs."

The younger girl briefly paused in applying her soft pink blush and looked at the two strangely, noting the sudden change of tone in the conversation. They were beginning to speak as if—

"I'm jealous." Yura dramatically pouted, lightly throwing her lipstick across her vanity.

Sango laughed at the youkai, "Remember we all only get one time with him…"

"It's not fairrrr…" Yura began to run her hands through her short hair, "Hey, maybe Rin can let us in on the action, huh?"

'Oh my god.' Rin stopped and put down her makeup brush, swallowing thickly. She didn't want to do anything with anyone, especially not some mafia lord!

"Hey, you okay?" Rin didn't respond, letting Sango grab the length of her hair and help her brush it. "Don't worry about Sesshomaru, alright? He will either look at you with complete disgust and not want to touch you…" She winced at that. It was never nice to be looked at like that.

"… Or if he likes your performance…" Rin saw the older woman blush from her reflection on the mirror. "He'll… make sure to show you how much he liked it." Sango finished vaguely, giving her a small pat on the back. "He's really not all too bad."

"Hey, where's Kagura?" Yura asked, finishing her get-up.

Sango shrugged as she went back to her vanity. "I don't know, Kuromaru said something about her taking a vacation. She deserves it. She was diffidently overworked covering both Kikyo's and her appearances…"

'Oh, that's where she's been.' Rin thought, dabbing a muted pink gloss over her lips. 'I guess I'll tell that to Takahashi if I see him later.' She looked into the mirror, finally satisfied with her hair, collected in a bun that would be easy to remove, and her makeup, light and fresh. She slipped on the white satin opera-length gloves, then adjusted her corset a bit and made sure the half skirt flowing behind her was smooth.

"Oh, look at her." Yura said with a soft sigh, resting a bent arm on Sango's shoulders, "He's going to eat you up, literally."

Rin didn't get a chance to react as one of the other dancers opened the door. "Ladies, the men upstairs are ready!"

"Well, let's go and get paid!" Yura exclaimed, her magenta eyes sparkling as she grabbed both Sango and Rin and rushed out of the room.

-:-

Rin fidgeted in her place behind the curtain. They were supposed to 'introduce' themselves to the powerful men by giving just a little minute-or-two performance, only a tease. Sango was almost done and then it would be her turn on the mini-stage. She never liked 'introduction' performances, because she would rather get the whole thing over with. Also, it meant that the main performance would be in private rooms, which she always avoided. She heard her name being called, 'Sango must have finished.' She took a breath and slipped one leg between the heavy, black curtains before she stepped out on the stage.

She saw Sango sitting against Naraku who had an arm around her, looking rather unhappy about it though the half-demon didn't seem to care. Yura was sitting on Ryukotsusei's lap with one arm around his neck and gave her a rather excited wave. Her eyes then landed on who must be Sesshomaru and she felt her heart stop. The two women had _completely failed_ to mention exactly how attractive the demon was.

His snowy-white hair was longer than even Ryukotsusei's, and spilled like liquid silver over his black suit and the plush leather seat. She approached the pole, never taking her eyes off of him. His gaze reminded her of cookie dough man, cold, hard with fire underneath the surface, but his eyes were an exotic golden hue. She did a few twirls, unable to do much without first stripping the skirt—but that had to wait! She strutted over to the left side of the small stage, directly in front of her client for the night.

His skin was pale, but almost appeared to be glowing in the dim light. Her hands made their way up her body, before she picked one end of her long gloves. Gingerly, she slowly began to pull the long sleeve down, it was only about a quarter of the way down before she saw a flicker of lust in his gaze and the dragon yelling, "Oh, come on!"

She tried hard to not roll her eyes at Ryukotsusei before she quickly lifted the glove back into its original position, wagging a disapproving finger at both youkai with a playful smirk on her lips.

She hopped down the small stage, mindful of her heels, before sitting next to the captivating man, giving him her best smile. He didn't smile back, but she felt his arm drop to her shoulder and pull her closer to him. A couple of waitresses gathered, putting down expensive bottles of dark youkai wine. While the men conversed, the three women made sure their glasses were always filled and any of their needs were met but Sesshomaru did not ask for anything.

Rin had thought it was a bit strange, though he didn't do much talking either… Normally it would be a bit awkward, but she was more thankful that the mafia lord was way less grabby than Ryukotsusei and didn't have that kind of creepy-ish aura that Naraku had. She would take little peeks at his face during their little meeting, wondering if the stripes on his face felt different from the rest of skin or if the moon that decorated his forehead had any significance.

"Well, not to worry, I'll be putting that arrogant little human in his place soon." Ryukotsusei sneered, finishing his third glass of wine. Yura instantly filled it up as the dragon looked over at Sesshomaru. "You're not being fair, hiding the girl over there, Sesshomaru."

Rin instantly tensed up, and sunk herself deeper into the seat, closer to the larger body next to her. She nearly let out a small 'eep' when a clawed hand gave her shoulder a light squeeze. She didn't expect it, and it almost seemed… comforting? She didn't understand why he did it.

"I thought humans were not of your taste, Ryukotsusei."

"A demon can change. Besides, I can say the same for you."

"I recall hearing you are here nearly twice a week, Ryukotsusei… I believe you've seen enough of her." Naraku interjected, his red eyes narrowed.

The dragon either missed the hanyou's patronizing tone or was completely ignoring it… Rin would bet money on the latter. "You have obviously not seen her, if you think it's possible to get enough." The look the dragon gave her made her want to disappear through the sofa.

Yura tried to diffuse the little tension between the hanyou and dragon, moving to sit on Ryukotsusei's lap, facing him. "You know, you talk too much sometimes." She wrapped her arms around his neck and made sure to press her large chest against him, grounding her hips against his. Without hesitation, she captured the daiyoukai's lips in a rough kiss.

She was not going to sit here and watch _that_. Rin turned to face the silver-haired demon, flashing a smile as she stood, grabbing his hands to urge him to stand. He allowed it, and she led him into the one of the VIP private rooms. She served him the drink of his choice, before turning on the music, making sure not to make too loud. Kuromaru mentioned her client would have 'very sensitive hearing' and preferred a more burlesque-type performance.

Rin ran her hand run across the back of his shoulders as she made to face him before she began to dance. Letting her body sway to the beat, she tried to concentrate on the music, as the daiyoukai's gaze was far too powerful to keep. 'I'm not afraid of him… He's not going to do anything…' She kept saying to herself as she gently tugged on each gloved finger before she took her time removing the satin cloth, giving it a twirl before throwing it across the room, mimicking the same action on the other hand.

With the gloves gone, she felt her nerves begin to calm. 'One down…' She took her time getting up the small stage, dancing around the pole, and occasionally meeting his intense stare with a smile. She thought he liked her smiles, or she at least hoped she wasn't reading him totally wrong. Rin faced him again, and then quickly spun around as her hands worked the clasp that kept her half-skirt together.

She swayed her hips with the music, slowly letting the fabric fall just below the curve of her behind. She shook her rear just a bit, before throwing the half-skirt to the side. 'Okay, so far so good…' She thought. He didn't seem displeased with her.

She kicked off her white pumps clear to side—diffidently did not want to hit anyone or anything with those. She unraveled her wild hair before grabbing the pole; she did a few spins and tricks, finishing with a Twisted Grip Ayesha*. She gracefully dropped to the floor, crawled to the edge of the mini-stage and laid on her back, giving the daiyoukai a playful bite of her lip.

Rin raised her leg until her toes pointed straight to the ceiling. She hooked each thumb under the lacy edge of her stockings and began to push upward until she got to her ankles, then she bent her leg to able to pull the last of the stocking off her foot, discarding it randomly with the rest of the clothing. She copied the same move on her other leg, but did not watch where she threw it and it ended up draped over the daiyoukai's shoulder.

Her cheeks felt heated as the serious man raised an eyebrow at her. 'Oh my god…!' She mentally screamed, she had not meant to do that! She didn't want to encourage anything! Outwardly, the woman only smiled with a soft shrug of her exposed shoulder before she slid down the platform and closed the distance between them.

She picked up the sheer fabric, unconsciously ensuring her cleavage was in his clear view—and trying very hard to not notice the daiyoukai's little problem while she tossed the stocking aside. 'Though little would not be the word for it.' Mortified by her own thoughts, Rin did a small spin away from the man, her back to him. Her fingers grabbed one end of the tie that kept one side of her corset together, she tugged the ends until the knot came undone. Her hands moved to the front, beginning to unclasp the front of the restricting cloth.

She held it in place once all the hooks were loose, turning to look at him—at his nose specifically as she lost all nerve to even glance at his eyes. She opened up the corset in a slow, teasing pace, revealing inch-by-inch her flat, toned stomach and the flimsy, sparkling bra. Once she discarded the corset, she spun once more. Her intention was to continue the dance, shake her butt a few times, finish her pole routine, get her money, leave, etc. but…

She heard the sound of glass being set down on wood, but she didn't hear him get up and most certainly was not expecting the strong arms around her bare waist or the hard chest against her back.

Rin's logical side of the brain had a _tiny_ issue trying to get caught up to speed with what was happening, getting lost in the feel of his body flush against hers and his hot breath against her skin. She moaned when he nibbled a particularly sensitive part in half-way down her neck and dangerous claws pinched her thigh. She didn't protest against the hand that cupped her breast and the fangs that nipped their way down her throat, drawing another moan from her.

His chuckle finally pulled her out of the haze. She saved herself for this long; she wasn't going to let some _crook_ take the only thing she had left—nevermind how attractive he was or how his lips felt against her skin! 'Forget all of that!'

She quickly spun around in his arms, placing her hands against his chest and pushed—and it was totally useless. She was pushing with all her strength—and she wasn't a total weakling, it was hard work to pole-dance!—but it was like trying move a mountain.

"What are you doing?" His voice was mocking, and it infuriated her. He knew exactly what she was doing, 'No need to ask!' She pointed down between, hoping he would get that she was referring to the very hard …_thing_ that was pressed against her lower stomach, and then shook her head vigorously.

"No..?" Rin then crossed her arms and nodded. The daiyoukai didn't seem to want to drop it then and there… "Do you know what kind of youkai I am…?" She shook her head, she kind of liked that sexy smirk on his face but didn't see what this had to do with anything—"I'm an inuyoukai. I have a much heightened sense of hearing…" His nose was on her neck, his claws skirted down her open back and she pushed against his shoulders with no avail. "… and smell. I can scent your excitement."

That was very, _very_ embarrassing, and dangerous. She did not need a mafia lord knowing she was attracted to him! 'Though… with his looks, he probably has a bunch of women to choose from. One less shouldn't hurt!' He stood up straight, but still didn't let her go, his expression curious. "You don't want me to touch you?"

She nodded and gave one little more push against his chest to empathize her point. She didn't fail to realize the firmness of the muscles underneath where she pressed, and scolded herself for it. He let her go and she took two steps back, hugging herself with her arms and looking down to the floor. She suddenly felt very naked under his gaze—not that she had much clothes on to begin with—but she felt her usual defenses did nothing against him.

He had gotten so close—_too close_.

She allowed the clawed fingers under chin, raising her head so her eyes met his. There was a peculiar look on his face that she couldn't figure out; his gaze was hard and unforgiving. Sango's little words about these men not being able to handle rejection well echoed in her mind. She prepared for the worst but the youkai only said one thing…

"You don't belong here." His words were said with enough frost to make her visibly wince. He let her go once more, turning on his heel to place an envelope the end table beside the loveseat, and walked out of the room without a glance. 'What did he mean by that?' She rubbed the sides of her arms, 'Did I get him angry…?' Reluctantly, she went over and grabbed the envelope, opening it. 'Yura wasn't joking.'

But there was something else in the stack of green, and she pulled the small, off-white paper out. It listed a time, location, of an event…?

'An invitation…?' She looked at the paper, puzzled. 'Why would he…? What?' Rin put down the envelope but kept the invite in her hands. She glanced at the door, 'Should I go…?' Her body was still hot from his touch, she could still feel the trail his claws ghosted down her spine. She wanted to go, only to see him again if it meant quenching her des—'OKAY. Enough!' She took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind of perverted thoughts.

'I can't go. Getting involved with these murderous men… Especially him.' Rin never felt so weak around another man.

He only touched her. She had been touched before, it came with the territory, but why didn't she stop him immediately like she always had done? She always found it easy to say no and slap the perverted hands away. Rin never gave in to the false promises that her clients cooed of romance, of loving her—she had seen what it done to the other girls, many who came from abuse like her…

Granted, he didn't say something about the latter but she knew it would only be a matter of time. It was always like that, the dragon was already doing so, how long would be before the inuyoukai followed suit? She bit her lip, closing her eyes as she attempted to strengthen her decision. 'I can't go. I won't.'

She ripped the invite in shreds and dumped in the unfinished wine to ensure she wouldn't be able to read it again before she changed her mind. Unsatisfied, she took it a step further, grabbing the glass and dumping the tainted drink in the sink of the small bar, turning on the faucet to ensure each little piece of paper was washed away.

She snatched up her pay, and made her way out the room as she thought to herself, 'I am a talented and respected dancer at Shikon, saving up money for school, a doctor, and a home away from abuse… What I am **not **is one of the mafia's playthings.'

And she was going to make damn sure Ryukotsusei knew that as well.

**End of Chapter 4**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Oops, this chapter was getting wayyyy too long so I had to split it, and ugh, it is way too hard to describe what her routines look like. Gonna start avoiding doing that again, lol.

I totally cannot comment on any reviews as that would give stuff away but…

Thanks Mirja, L.M.T.O.P, jj, Mary, Carmen, and unlockyourdestiny for reviewing and keeping up! I reaaallllyy appreciate it! :D


	5. POISON

POISON | Love Her

**Chapter 5**

_POISON_

'Thoughts/Rin's writing'

_Flashbacks_

Original Publish Date: 4/20/2014

**Later that Night.**

Takahashi was surprised to see the girl take a seat across from him. He had suspected she would simply return home after her… lively night. She waved at him with her brilliant smile before chowing down quite ravenously on her dessert. "Hungry?"

She stopped with the spoon in her mouth, nodding quickly. He watched her as she ate; the cold treat was gone in minutes, he was almost impressed by the speed. Once she was done with the waffle cup, the human just sat there and pouted, looking at the empty spoon and cup with a sad face.

Her dramatic expression almost amused him. "Still hungry?" She sighed and nodded, her eyes darted between the empty cup and the counter. He contemplated taking her to eat. With Kagura still missing, he no longer had eyes and ears on Naraku. Sango had been his prime candidate in this situation as the woman already loathed the hanyou, but Ryukotsusei's eagerness to be near Rin made her far more valuable to him. He would have to earn the girl's trust.

Making his decision, he stood from the booth, throwing out both of their empty cups first as her curious eyes followed his movements, and then offered her his hand. "Come." Her wide eyes blinked up at him, then his hand. She accepted it and soon they were walking down the street to their destination, a small, upscale restaurant named "FEAST".

Takahashi ignored the long line, entering the establishment and immediately attracting the attention of the manager. "Mr. Takahashi! We were not expecting you!" The man noticed Rin, "And you have a guest! If you could just give us 2-3 minutes at most, we'll have a table for you!" He gave the flamboyant man a curt nod and directed his attention back to Rin, who was looking up the walls and ceilings of the restaurant.

"You have never been here before." She looked back at him and shook her head. The manager approached them again, and personally seated them in half-circle booth in the VIP area. Their waiter soon came over, handing out menus to them both.

"Will it be the usual wine, Mr. Takahashi?" The man nodded. "And for the lady?" She pointed something out in the menu. "I'll be right back with your drinks!" He had already known what he would order, content to sit there and watch the girl flip through the menus with a concentrated expression. The way she licked her lips when she read something that caught her interest was very… distracting.

"Here you go!" The waiter put down a pink drink for Rin, which smelled of some berry mixed with lemonade, and then poured a glass of the deep red wine and left the bottle on the table. "What will you two be having this—oh!" Rin eagerly pointed out a dish in the menu, cutting off the man. He chuckled softly, "I'll get that right away for you. Will you be having the usual ribeye, Mr. Takahashi?" He nodded and the waiter scurried off.

Rin sipped her drink, her doe like eyes wildly trying to take in everything and everyone around her. The human couldn't seem to sit still in her seat, swaying from side to side or playing with the straw in her drink. When she caught his stare, she smiled and waved at him again. "You are acting strange." She blinked, and then pulled out her paper and pen.

'Sorry! Lots on my mind.' She jotted down.

"Hmm, how was your day?" Takahashi asked casually, sipping his wine.

'Pretty eventful, work was interesting…' There was a dark flush on her face, and he knew exactly what she was thinking of. 'Yours?'

"Same." He answered vaguely. They sat in a comfortable silence until the food arrived. The girl nearly sprung another chuckle out of him tonight when he saw her wide, hungry eyes land on the grilled halibut she ordered. She devoured the large fish fillet in notable time and took her time with her side items of mashed sweet potatoes and roasted broccoli.

He continued to glance at her while they enjoyed their meal, unable to keep his gaze from her long. He briefly wondered if the girl had any idea of her effect on Ryukotsusei and Naraku.

_"I recall hearing you are here nearly twice a week, Ryukotsusei… I believe you've seen enough of her." _

_ "You have obviously not seen her, if you think it's possible to get enough."_

Naraku seemed strangely possessive over the young woman, and it would take a fool to not see Ryukotsusei's fierce, yet out of character, desire for her. What was this girl? He was starting to doubt the girl was a simple human, surely there must be some sort of spell or incantation she placed that is making those two behave that way.

And then there was a paper pad in his face, nearly pressing against his nose. It read, 'You keep staring!' She huffed when she pulled it away, but did not truly appear annoyed.

"Does it bother you?"

She tapped the pen a couple of times on her chin before jotting down, 'Not if you tell me why! :D'

That would involve admitting he found her, at best, interesting—which he would not do. She pouted when he didn't respond.

At that moment when she attempted to put her notepad down, the girl's knife slipped down from her plate and was heading to the floor. She caught it in time, only to bump her head on the table when moving back up with enough force to send the wine bottle on its descent. She caught it also, surprising even herself judging by her expression, before setting the items back on the table with an embarrassed look.

He immediately threw out the notion of the girl being capable of any enchantments.

They finished their meals and the waiter collected their plates, asking if they would want dessert. He had thought Rin would say no, but instead she had nodded quite eagerly and ordered the warm deep-dish cookie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. He watched her eat the dessert as he took his time with his last glass of wine, wondering where the petite girl was fitting all the food.

A drop of the melting dessert landed on her chest just as she finished her bite. She wiped the creamy liquid on her skin off with her finger and sucked it off her fingertip, then continued to finish the last of her treat, oblivious to his gaze. He, on the other hand, completely downed the remaining glass of his drink in one go as he mentally reprimanded himself for his immoral thoughts. He was behaving as if he was still in his hormonal teens, and the lack of control and discipline was absolutely disgusting—

_"You don't want me to touch you?" He was genuinely surprised, though he would not show it. There were no women or men—whether they were youkai, hanyou, or human—that had ever refused him, for anything. They either succumb to his wishes due to their fear or attraction to him… Yet this mute, small, _human_ woman stood in his iron grip, with a rebellious look on her face and her toned arms attempting to push him away—outright refusing a daiyoukai without a thought to her safety._

He was far above raping any gender or species for satisfaction. Sex was something he would only occasionally partake in despite his reputation as Sesshomaru, and he could find any woman to satisfy his desire when it would arise... but he would be lying to himself if the girl's rejection earlier that night did not further spike his curiosity.

"Here is the check! No rush! If you two want anything else, just wave me down!" Takahashi made a move to grab the burgundy check holder, but he was not anticipating the woman snatching it away from him.

"Rin." He would not allow this. "Give me the check." But she shook her head, a defiant and determined look in her eyes. He made a move to take it from her, had he not been 'acting human' he would have gotten it, but she raised it far above her head, and out of his reach, as she opened to take a look at the receipt. Her jaw dropped and her attention shifted to the bottle of wine and then him. The wine he enjoyed was **very** expensive— "I will take care of it."

She only gave him another shake of her head before rummaging through her purse, most likely for cash. Taking advantage of her distraction, and feeling utterly ridiculous for having to do this, Takahashi silently scooted till he was at her side of the booth and grabbed the check holder.

She gasped and snatched it right back from him with impressive speed, shaking her head vigorously before stuffing some bills inside and throwing it clear across the room. The startled waiter caught it with no problem, but decided not to comment.

Rin turned to him and stuck the tip of her tongue out at him, her eyes glittering with laughter. He gave her a flat look that conveyed his great annoyance. Sesshomaru, no matter what form he was in, did not get his meals paid for, especially by a human woman.

But the girl only met his glare with a smile, completely undeterred by his irritation.

She rose from the table, and then the couple left the restaurant and headed back towards the ice cream parlor. He noticed her car was not in the parking lot. "How did you get here?" She pointed at the bus stop across the street. "I will drive you home."

He scented her fear before it reached her eyes, and she violently shook her head. "It is late." It was around 2AM last he checked, and the area they were in wasn't exactly the greatest after midnight. He frowned, "I will not leave you here. "

She shook her head again—her heart was pounding, her pupils were contracted, her breathing was irregular—In short, she was terrified, 'Why?' Did she believe he would harm her? When her hands rubbed the sides of her neck, he knew. 'So her abuser lives with her…' "I can leave you a block away from your home if there is an issue..." The offer relaxed her a bit, and she accepted.

-:-

'This is a _really_ nice car.' Rin thought, not wanting to touch anything but the leather seat she sat on. She didn't want to break or sully anything. The woman would occasionally glance up at Takahashi, not wanting to keep her eyes off him too long.

She thought he was very handsome, he did not have the exotic flair that Sesshomaru had—'Where did that come from?' Why was she comparing the two? Rin realized that they only exchanged a couple of sentences throughout the night, and didn't actually hold a full conversation. She sulked, 'That's a little hard to do when one doesn't have a voice.'

They weren't too far from her house now, only a couple of more blocks. She hoped he would keep his word about not dropping her off directly to her home—

'No… No, no, no.' Her breathing shortened when she met the auburn eyes of her father, sitting in his truck at the stoplight, only one empty lane separating the two vehicles. 'He's looking… He's looking…' She was frozen in place, her hands gripping the purse in her lap as they shook.

"Rin?"

She didn't hear him. Rin only saw the anger flare on her father's expression when his eyes took in the car she was in, even the darkness of the night could not hide his rage, his disgust, his disappointment. He won't believe her. He won't believe that she isn't selling herself completely. The flashy car she was in would be proof enough for him.

"Rin?" She jumped in her seat when a warm hand touched her arm, her eyes shifted to the man in the driver's seat. "Who is that?" Her gaze dropped to the floor, unwilling to answer. She didn't want to get into any more trouble, and more importantly, she didn't want to drag anyone into the drama of her life.

So she stayed quiet, for his sake.

Rin heard him exhale and continue driving, until he reached the corner of her street. Her house was only about 5 houses down from the corner, it would take only a couple of minutes to walk to it… but she hesitated when grabbing the handle of the car door, not wanting to leave. She didn't want to experience the pain that she would surely greet her at that house.

"You do not need to leave." The statement was said so softly and when she turned to look at him, it appeared as if he said nothing with his blank expression—and she settled that the words were all in her head. Why would a stranger like him offer something like that? A dark voice nagged that he wanted to sleep with her—but she did her best to ignore it, he didn't seem the type for that. She took out her mini-note pad, jotting down 'Thank you' before ripping it off and handing it to him.

Steeling her mind, and body, Rin exited the vehicle without a second glance and headed towards her home. She didn't rush the short walk. Her father's truck was in the driveway, it appeared he was already inside… 'What's that smell?' She fumbled with her keys as a particular scent tickled her nose, 'It smells like… smoke?' Rin opened the front and shut it behind her, making her way to the left where she saw the light of her room spill into the hall. 'He was in there?'

Panic filled her and her first thought was confirmed when she saw the complete mess her room was in. Her mattress was overturned, all the drawers of the large chest were on the floor, clothing, make-up and other items scattered around carelessly. Her closet doors were wide open; the boxes from the top shelf had their contents spilled all over the floor, old albums filled with photos of a once happy family. None appeared damaged much to her relief.

'Where's…?' The case with her cash was gone, and the vial with Kuromaru's poison was missing among the wreckage. 'Oh god, where is he?' She followed the scent of earlier to the kitchen door that led to their backyard.

There was a fire blazing in the night, fueled by money she earned—all the unwanted touches, perverted stares, fake smiles, and long nights—in just minutes, all her sacrifices were in vain and the man responsible was there, lying with his back against the dying grass as he twirled the vial above him.

"Drugs and fucking rich, snobby businessmen now?" His voice cracked as he sat up but she did not look at him, her flat expression watched the fire flick wildly against the soft night breeze. 'Thousands… gone.' He didn't like being ignored. She didn't have time to react to the slap across her face or her purse being yanked from her and being thrown to the growing fire. "The shit I've done for you… and you go and continue to disappoint me."

He turned to face the flames, his hands wide and to the sky. "Look at all this you were hiding from me! What were you saving for, huh?" She didn't respond. When his hands gripped the tops of her arms, she didn't flinch. Her passiveness drove him insane. "You aren't going to leave me, nonono, you're staying with Daddy, you hear me?! You're not leaving like she did!" He shook her, "Look at me!" She didn't. "Look at me!"

This time she did, and instead of feeling the sharp increase of fear pounding in her chest at his maddened eyes, she only felt a deep sense of pity—and he caught it. "Don't fucking look at me like that!" He slapped her again, his breath coming out in harsh, short pants. "Your mother would be disgusted with you." She looked at him wide-eyed; he never made a comment like that. Ever.

He dropped back down to the grass, with his back to her as he opened the vial. "She's probably rolling in her grave. Her daughter ended up being a fucking mute whore." Rin watched as he pulled out a paper from his pocket, and poured some of the leafy poison onto the—'He doesn't know.' She thought as she watched him roll it up, 'He doesn't know what it is…' "Who the hell fucks a mute whore?" His ramblings seemed to fade from her mind; she only heard the sound of the fire crackling away at her earnings and the sound of his inhales as he...

'He's smoking it…' And Rin watched. She watched him smoke the half of joint as his ramblings became more and more unintelligible. "Fucking Emiko…" Rin turned away at that point, and slowly entered the house. With the door shut behind her, she let her back hit the wood as she slid to the floor. She heard his laughter, it was maniacal and terrifying, and occasionally cut off by his harsh coughing.

Her father was losing his mind.

Rin felt the hot tears stream down her face, she didn't know when she started crying or for what. For the money? For her father? 'Or because I'm doing nothing…?' His coughing was getting worse. Each hack, each raspy intake, she heard it so perfectly and it jabbed at her soul each time. He needed help…

"Emiko!" 'But it's too late, isn't it? He had so much…' Rin got up to her knees to peek out the window on the door. He was bashing his fists to the ground, screaming into the fire. She couldn't see his face, but could hear his pain through his voice.

'Maybe…' The woman began to think, watching the man she once thought of as proud, wise, and unbreakable. He was on his hands and knees, his head hung between his shoulders as he growled out words she could no longer hear or understand. 'Maybe you'll get to see Mom again…' His body fell to the side. 'Then you'll be happy, won't you? That's all you want, right?'

Rin inhaled sharply. 'What am I thinking?' She wiped away the tears, shaking the thoughts out of her head. '_What am I doing_?!' She couldn't fall into that kind of thinking—those horrid thoughts she used in convenience to justify her inaction. Yes, she wanted to get away from everything that her father now was—_but not like this_.

Rin quickly stood, scribbled down a cry for help and dashed to her neighbor's home. The young woman next door was irritated at being awaken but jumped into action once she read Rin's note. The older woman handed her a fire extinguisher as she chattered on the phone with emergency. Rin quickly made it back into her backyard and kicked the vial into the fire before prepping the extinguisher.

She waited until she heard the glass pop and the woman urging her to put out the fire while she checked her father's body, before spraying down the flames. From the corner of her version, she saw the woman pick up what was left of the joint, give a quick sniff and curse as she threw it aside. "Naraku."

'What? Naraku?' Rin glanced at older woman, if she recalled correctly, her name was Enju*, a human with unusual bright, orange eyes.

"Looks like your father's lifestyle caught up to him." Her eyes softened when she looked up at her, "I'm sorry, Rin. For humans, there is no coming back from taking direct shots of Naraku's miasma plant." 'How does she know this?' The woman made pottery, what would she know about men like Naraku? Enju stood from her crouched position, and placed her hands on Rin's shoulders. "I'm sorry." The auburn-haired woman hugged her, and Rin looked at her father's lifeless body from over her shoulder. 'He's… gone…'

The rest was a haze of flashing red and blue, men dressed in black with shiny badges—questions of what happened, how, why, if she was okay, did she have any family remaining, did the drug belong to her or him, where did it come from—and she answered them all from her seat at the dining table, scribbling down her responses with trembling hands. She had to circumvent the complete truth about the drug's origin, now that she knew her employer and Naraku for sure had a strong connection. What that meant for her… she didn't know, she didn't want to dwell on it for now.

The sun began to rise by the time they were all gone, and she was alone in the single-family home, still sitting at the table as the rays of light filtered into the room.

It was eerily quiet and every tiny sound seemed harshly loud. She could hear every chirp from the awakening birds outside, the tick-tock of her great grandfather's clock in the living room, the slow drip from the kitchen faucet... 'There's no one left here.' Rin crossed her arms on the table and laid her head down flat against them.

… And she cried for him, until her eyes burned, until her heart was numb, and her exhausted body fell into a tormented slumber.

-:-

"It is done."

"Interesting…" Kuromaru went over the report the man handed to him, "Does Ryukotsusei know yet?"

"No, not yet. I estimate we have about another hour or so before the news reaches him."

"With the dragon oblivious and those men without guidance, driving them out of that district should be easy." Kuromaru leaned back into his leather chair, "I will not tolerate failure in this simple mission, Byakuya."

"I understand. Will Hakudoshi be accompanying me?"

"No." The hanyou stood from his seat, walking around the wood desk. "I will not be here at Shikon for the day. Should any issues arise, I will be at Blue Moon."

"Stealing another one of Kaguya's women? She will throw a fit."

The hanyou chuckled, "She has no choice in the matter. Kagura will need to be replaced."

"Ah... I see." Byakuya shifted in place, knowing fully well that he may not see that incarnation again. "If that is all…"

"Yes, go. Take whatever you need with you to finish the job." The hanyou dismissed his subordinate, waiting until the man left the room before making his way to the basement.

The wind witch refused to give up any information. It was a pity, really, her determination was almost admirable. She was one of the longest surviving incarnation he created, the title now left to Kanna, and proved her worth time and time again, but she was getting far too clever, there were times where even he could not find out what she was hiding from him. If she hadn't been so hung up on a false sense of freedom…

Naraku was unsurprised when he flicked the switch to see the chains that held her were empty. He heard some of her thoughts of escaping the night before; peeked into her mind to view an elaborate plan she had involving Sesshomaru to achieve her 'freedom'. She slipped up, thinking much too loudly in her distressed state and he heard it all. It might have all worked out for her…

Now she wasn't thinking. Now she was truly desperate. 'That sword won't save you, Kagura.'

Her heart appeared in his hand, pumping wildly. She was frightened, surely she knew he would kill her before she got into Sesshomaru's territory, that Tensaiga could not revive her incomplete body. 'Why run from the inevitable?' He squeezed the organ, a sickening smirk painted his lips when he heard her shout of pain in his mind.

'Foolish woman.' His claws dug into the pounding heart, ensuring the wind sorceress could hear his words in her head. 'No one will mourn your passing. You will die alone and your fabricated soul will return to _my body_. Kagura, you will never be free from me for as long as _I_ live.'

He didn't flinch at her soul-shattering scream or when blood from the erratic organ in his hand splattered on to his face. Turning back into his office, he threw the organ in the trash without a care as his appearance shifted into his soft, human form. He cleaned off the blood from his face in the small bathroom of his office and changed his blazer, his mind now on the girl that would replace the wind witch.

Naraku didn't want too many humans in his star line-up, but when he saw the young woman at Blue Moon, her appearance so similar to Kikyou's… 'Kagome, I believe her name was…' Her performance skill was a bit lacking, he figured Rin and the other girls could help her with that.

Kouga would like her, he was sure of it. By the time he would return from the States, she would be ready to seduce him into returning to his club over and over again.

There was also Bankotsu calling about Yura, Suikotsu asking for the two sisters Botan and Momiji depending on which personality was on the phone that day, Hiten coming nearly every day for Suijin—The hanyou scoffed as he adjusted his tie, it was almost all too easy using his women to reel these youkai in.

'Except Sesshomaru…' With the wind witch dead, he had no pull over the inuyoukai, though he doubted the demoness meant that much to him. The dog was only after solid information of his enemies and he did not care how it was obtained, even if it meant forming false friendships.

'Rin did not grab his attention, it seems.' It was a shot in the dark, pairing the two. He had honestly only recruited the girl for her talent, and her innocent appearance was something missing at Shikon, it was a pleasant surprise to find out later her father ran the primary gang in one of Ryukotsusei's districts—one close to his borders that would be simple to overtake—then to have the dragon so attracted to her was not even a possibility in his mind, but she achieved it without trying.

'Though with that come a few issues…' The hanyou sneered as he thought of the daiyoukai's treatment of the young human; the dragon was far too rough with her for his liking and demanded her far too often. It was not that he cared for her well-being; Ryukotsusei's fetishes and border-line obsession of her hindered the amount of customers the girl brings in—some were even afraid of approaching her.

Regardless, he hoped that perhaps she could do the same with the icy daiyoukai—he would gladly give up any profit for that—but when he saw Sesshomaru leave his club early and the girl being able to walk out of the private room with no issue, he knew nothing transpired between the two. 'How odd… Her performances are exceptional…' He would just have to kill the youkai the old-fashioned way when the time came.

Kuromaru left the club with a duffel bag in hand, leaving a note to the bouncer at the door, before slipping into his black Nissan GT-R and made his way out of the lot.

The hanyou sighed after reading the clock, it was only around 7AM. First, he would have to deal with the officers working on the gang leader's death, by then Byakuya should be done overtaking the dragon's district and he would have to pass by and simply kill any who opposed the change of leadership. After that, off to steal another one of the moon youkai's women…

A dark smile quirked the corners of his lips, he was going to have a _wonderful _day.

**End of Chapter 5**

**Author's Note:** Sorry this took so long to get up! I kept making little changes every time I opened the document-tonight I was like just 'NO! That's it! No more!' Anyway...

); Omg, so sad. Sorry! Though, some of you might like that he's gone now, lol.

I didn't want it to be Sesshy/Takahashi that 'saves' her from her father, since I felt that would be to… predictable, I guess? I thought this would work better for what I have planned later in the story!

*Enju is that girl with the nice hair in Episode 92 that was resurrected the same way Kikyo was, for those who may have forgotten!

For those who commented on routines, I do agree that I would to write some of them. I just wish it was easier to describe in words the moves. ): I will for sure be describing any important routines, just not every single one or we are so not going to get anywhere here. Lol

Mirja – I think all of your questions actually got answered here in this chapter. Thanks for reviewing! :D

TheRingMistress92 – I'm glad you gave my story a chance! Emiko's connection to Ryu is going to be brought up realllllll soon. Most likely in the next chapter as Ryu is going to be a pretty big part of it!

Obsessed Dreamer – Thank you! I hope I was able to keep that up in this chapter. It was… pretty hard to write. _

Comehere-often – I'm sorry this chapter took quite a bit to get up right after you mention that I update quickly. Lol Thanks for the kind words though! :D

Also, thanks to –takes a deep breath-: Guest, Mary, jj, Carmen, L.M.T.O.P, CsBuns, Guest #2, Hannahneko, and Sof for reviewing! And thanks to the quiet ones who fav and follow too~


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